Rotary engine.



PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

D. D. HARDY. ROTARY ENGINE. nrmcnmx 11mm 001'. 21.1904.

2 SHEETS-'SHEBT 1.

v INVENTOR D, D. HARDY.

ATTEST.

No. 795,118. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905. D.D.HARDY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2,

Q I Ix) w I s I i .3 3 a w ATTEST. INVENTOR.

C D. D. HARDY'. 3 L *Ml/fl- NITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT Orricn.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,118, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed October 21, 1904. Serial No- 229,371.

To all whom, it 711,007 concern.-

Be it known that I, DUDLEY D. HARDY, a citizen of the United States, residing in East St. Louis, in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a rotary steamengine comprising a stationary cylinder, a rotatable piston Within said cylinder provided with adjustable buckets, a gate for directing the steam to said buckets to drive the piston in either direction of rotation, and means whereby said gate is controlled.

Figure I is a side elevation of my engine. Fig. II is a vertical longitudinal section of the engine. Fig. III is a vertical cross-section. Fig. IV is an enlarged perspective view showing in detail a portion of the engine-piston. Fig. V is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the arms of the gate of the engine.

1 designates the cylinder of my engine, within which is the circular chamber 2, (see Figs. II and III,) that is surmounted by the steam-receiving chamber 3. I

4 is a steam-induction pipe that leads to the steam-receiving chamber 3, and 5 is an exhaustpipe leading from said chamber.

6 is a shaft journaled in the cylinder 1 and having fixed thereto exterior of the cylinder a belt-pulley 7 and a fly-wheel 8.

9 designates the piston of the engine, that is fixed to the shaft 6 interior of the cylinder 1 and is provided with perimetral flanges 10. Situated between the flanges 10 at the periphery of the piston are bucket-carrying lugs 11, spaced apart at suitable intervals, the said lugs being preferably of tapered form in crosssection.

12 designates buckets adjustably secured to the lugs 11 through the medium of bolts 14, that pass through elongated transverse apertures in the buckets and are seated in said lugs. This means of attachment of the buckets provides for their being adjusted inwardly and outwardly with respect to the inner face of the circular cylinder-chamber 2 in order that they may be always maintained in close contact with the annular surface of the chamber.

15 designates a double-armed gate, rock ingly mounted in the steam-receiving chamber 3 upon a rock-shaft 16 and adapted to have either of its arms presented toward the periphery of the piston 9. In the ends of the arms of this gate are wear-blocks 17 removably seated in the arms and preferably made of Babbitt or other antifriction metal. The rock-shaft 16 is journaled in the side walls of the cylinder 1, and the said shaft projects at one end from the cylinder and has fixed thereto a pair of throw-arms 18 and 19, that are laterally offset from each other, and 20 and 21 are the spring-arms of a fork 22, that is fitted to the hub Which carries the throw-arms 18 and 19 and which bear, respectively, against said throw-arms. Extending from the fork 22 is a hand-lever 28, provided with a suitable latch that is adapted to engage a rack 24, mounted upon the engine-cylinder. (See Figs. I and III.)

25 designates a cam fixed to the piston-shaft 6. This cam is provided with a plurality of inclined or curving points 26, spaced apart and adapted to travel in a path that will cause them to rideinto bearing with the controlling throwarm 18. The cam 25 is also provided with inclined or curved points 27 that are adapted to travel in a path that will cause them to strike against the throw-arm 19 when said throw-arm is moved to the perimetral face of the cam 25.

In the practical use of my engine the operation is as follows: When the engine-piston is to be driven in one direction, the gate 15 is thrown into the .position seen in full lines, Fig. II, and dotted lines, Fig. I, and maintained in such position by reason of the fork 22 being held by the engagement of the handlever 23 with the rack 24. The steam entering the receiving-chamber 3 through the induction-pipe 4 is then directed downwardly past the lowered arm of the gate 15 and exerts pressure against the buckets as they pass beneath the lowered gate-arm, the said arm partaking of a rising motion as the buckets move thereto and descending into contact with the periphery of the piston between its flanges after the buckets have passed it. This riseand-fall motion of the gate is produced by the throw-arm 18 and spring forkarm 20. When the engine-piston is to be driven in the opposite direction, the gate 15 is thrown into the position seen in dotted lines, Fig. II, and rise-and-fall motion is imparted thereto to raise and lower the depending arm of the gate in the same manner as previously described in the statement of operation in the first direction. Each time that the piston-buckets move to the depending arm of the gate 15 the points 26 or 27 of the cam 25 strike against the corresponding arms 18 01"19, according to the position into which the fork 22 is placed and the direction of rotation of the piston, and the said arms operate to rock the shaft 16 and raise and permit lowering of the lowered gatearm, thereby easing the bearing between the lowered end of the gate-arm and the buckets and bucket-lugs.

,It will be seen by referring to Fig. II that the induction-pipe {L is located immediately over the axis of the rocking gate 15 and that the entire upper portion of the steam-receiving chamber 3 is constantly exposed to the upper face of said gate. This being the case, the steam-pressure exerted against the gate constantly acts to hold said gate in a balanced condition irrespective of which of its arms is in lowered position. As a consequence of maintaining the gate in a balanced condition it is very readily rocked to and fro on its axis with slight assistance from the exterior of the engine, and this assistance is afforded by the throw-arms 18 and 19 and the cam 25, that operates in conjunction therewith. As the assistance necessary is very slight, there is no perceptible reduction in the power secured by the operation of the engine.

I claim as my invention 1. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder, a piston rotatably mounted in said cylinder, bucket carrying lugs projecting from said piston, buckets fitted to said lugs and provided with slots and bolts for holding said buckets in fixed adjusted positions on said lugs, an induction-pipe leading to said cylinder, a gate rockingly mounted in said cylinder adjacent to said piston, and means for moving said gate when said buckets move thereto, substantially as set forth.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder, a piston rotatably mounted in said cylinder and provided with bucket-lugs, buckets movably fitted to said lugs, means for holding said buckets in fixed positions, a rockingly-mounted gate in said cylinder adjacent to said piston, a rock-shaft on which said gate is mounted, a throw-arm fixed to said rock-shaft, and a cam carried by said piston-shaft adapted to engage said throwarm, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder, a piston rotatably mounted in said cylinder and provided with bucket-lugs,-

buckets movably fitted to said lugs, means for holding said buckets in fixed position, a rockingly-mounted gate in said cylinder adjacent to said piston, a rock-shaft on which said gate is mounted, a throw-arm fixed to said rock-shaft, a cam carried by said pistonshaft adapted to engage said throw-arm, and a spring bearing against said throw-arm, substantially as set forth.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder, a piston rotatably mounted in said cylinder and provided with buckets, a gate rockingly mounted in said cylinder adjacent to said piston, a rock-shaft on which said gate is mounted, a pair of throw-arms fixed to said rock-shaft, a cam fixed to the shaft of said piston and provided with two sets of points adapted to engage said throw-arms, a

fork having spring-arms bearing against said throw-arms, and means for holding said fork in a fixed position, substantially as set forth.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder provided with a piston-chamber and a steam-receiving compartment, a piston rotatively mounted in said cylinder and provided with bucket-lugs, buckets movably fitted to said lugs, means for holding said buckets in fixed positions, a rockingly-mounted double-armed gate located in said steamreceiving compartment to be held in a balanced condition by the steam therein, and means for rocking said gate, substantially as set forth.

DUDLEY D, HARDY. In presence of NELLIE V. ALEXANDER, E. S. KNIGHT. 

